1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method and an apparatus for controlling call processing in a network. More specifically the present invention is directed to a method and apparatus capable of controlling a call set-up operation based upon load condidtions in a data packet communication network.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the conventional call set-up operation effected in a data packet communication network, in response to a call set-up request or demand from a terminal employed in the packet communication network, after a judgement is made as to whether or not the packet communication network can affirm or guarantee communication qualities of all calls stored therein, a decision may be made as to whether or not the call is connected or set-up therewith. This conventional call set-up control has been performed based on a predetermined call set-up algorithm without taking into account the quantity of idle resources and the workload of the CPU (central processing unit), i.e., load conditions of the communication network. Such a conventional call set-up controlling method is described in, for instance, GRINSEC "Electronic Switching" pages 411 to 415 by Elsevier Science Publishers, 1983.
However, the above-described conventional call set-up controlling methods have the following problems. First, since the call set-up controls are executed in accordance with a preselected (fixed) call set-up algorithm irrelevant to the load conditions of the packet communication network, the communication resources employed in the communication network cannot be utilized at desirably high efficiency. That is to say, for instance, when a so-termed "correct or complex, call set-up algorithm" is employed for the call set-up control, a large quantity of processing time is required for accomplishing this set-up control to maintain necessary communication qualities. On the other hand, when a so-called "simple algorithm" is utilized, a number of calls may be processed while maintaining allowable communication qualities. However, since the inference of required communication resource quantities is not so entirely correct or accurate, communication resources greater than actually required resources must be kept for establishing call set-up control, causing lower efficiency in the packet communication network.
The present invention has been made in an attempt to solve the above-described conventional problems, and therefore has an object providing a method and an apparatus capable of controlling a call set-up operation in accordance with load conditions of a packet communication network. In particular, there may be provided a call set-up controlling method and apparatus thereof capable of utilizing communication resources of higher efficiency than that of the conventional controlling method, and furthermore capable of shortening response time for deciding whether or not a call is acceptable.
Moreover, another object of the present invention is to provide a call set-up controlling method and apparatus thereof capable of controlling the call set-up operations, while varying the contents of applicable algorithms suitable to the load condition of the packet communication network.